Toilet paper holders and dispensers have found wide use in the last two or three decades in the commercial washroom environment, but as of the present day such dispensers have not gained significant acceptance for residential use mainly because they are costly due to their complex mechanical parts. These commercial dispensers are two general types: one in which the rolls are mounted in a housing axially with respect to one another, and the other in which the rolls are mounted transversely adjacent one another usually horizontally positioned and vertically stacked. In the axially aligned roll dispenser there is usually provided a slidable cover that permits the user to shift the cover axially to uncover the second roll after the first roll has been used. A rather complex mechanism is provided for locking this cover in the desired position and preventing its premature shifting until after the first of the two rolls has been exhausted. The vertically stacked dispenser requires a holder for each of the rolls and a track for the holders that enables them to shift vertically, and a complex ratchet-type mechanism that prevents the upper rolls from prematurely dropping down to the lower dispensing position.
While these and other roll tissue dispensers have found a considerable degree of success in commercial use they have not found any degree of acceptance in the residential market because of their high cost, the special installation required, and also and possibly more importantly because the roll being dispensed is always visible and hence is just as unsightly as present residential single-roll holders.
It is the primary object of the present invention to ameliorate the above noted problems and provide an aesthetically desirable multiple-roll residential toilet paper holder and dispenser.